Five

Laura Henley rubbed the flesh-toned cream under her eyes to hide the dark circles. She hadn’t slept well since Mandy’s death. She’d been crying most of the night and then powering through her work all day. It was exhausting.

At least Rusty had shown up. He, being Mandy’s brother, would be just as interested in clearing Mandy’s name as Laura was. Together, they could work through their grief by helping Mandy.

She checked her face in the mirror of the antique black vanity, added a bit more blush to her cheekbones, and then sprayed an extra spritz of her favorite summertime perfume. She turned to the right and left, checking herself out in the mirror. She looked pretty good—considering. She definitely wasn’t her usual happy self. She still looked tired, but less so thanks to the makeup. 

Her black camisole underneath the orange and brown crocheted tank went perfectly with her pecan-colored pendant and feather earrings. She ran her fingers through her black hair and fluffed it out just a smidgen. It helped to focus on the little details of life. To get her mind off her heart’s ache.

Laura went into the spacious kitchen, her sandals tapping on the dark hardwood flooring. She grabbed an orange, peeled it, and sat at the table that matched the floor. She ate the orange, staring at the faux stone fireplace—who needed a blazing fire in Florida? But it was so pretty, she’d had to have it in her house. The mantle made a beautiful place to hang her pots and pans.

She threw away the peel, wandered into the living room, and took a deep breath. Usually, she could always relax in here, but since Mandy’s death, not even her favorite rooms helped. She walked along the outer wall, brushing her hands against the dried flowers hanging from the ceiling. She stopped in front of her easel and stared at the mostly-done painting of multi-colored sunflowers exploding from a vase on a dark green table. It would get finished, eventually.

Laura turned around and stumbled over the black, white, and green throw rug. She fixed it and moved around some of the pillows and blankets on her evergreen couch. She straightened some magazines on the coffee table, but it was pointless. The house was getting messy and she needed to get next door. 

It was a good thing Cindy was due to come clean. Was it that day or the next? It was hard to concentrate these days. 

Her mind wandered back to Mandy. There was no way Mandy had committed suicide. Sure, like anyone, there had been things she hadn’t been happy about. Things she wanted different in her life, but she wasn’t depressed or anything like that. Mandy had been making strides to change her life for the better. Finding ways to get the happiness she wanted.

In fact, that was why Laura was about to leave to talk with Rusty. She had to tell him all the details about Mandy’s plan to improve her life—plans that made two men look guilty for her ‘suicide.’ The controlling husband and the father of her youngest who didn’t want to make waves by telling his new wife that he might have a son.

She left a note for Cindy, telling her she’d be next door, and then went outside, locking the door to her split level. Much to her relief, Chris’s van was still gone. At least she wasn’t the only one who questioned his involvement. But then again, she’d been completely open with the police. That had to have helped.

Laura noticed a pop can at the edge of her lawn on the sidewalk. She went over and picked it up. 

A few women jogged by. 

Laura waved. “Hello.”

The group slowed, but didn’t stop. The tallest, a redhead named Greer, curled her lip. “Nice makeup, Laura.”

The other two giggled. They all stopped and stared at her.

Laura brought her hand to her face. “What are you talking about? There’s nothing wrong with the way I look.”

“You look more like a raccoon than a person.”  Greer wrinkled her nose.

A brunette Laura didn’t know rubbed her throat and grimaced. “Seriously. Where’d you get your makeup tips? The vet?”

Laura’s mouth went dry and she clenched her jaw. She didn’t want to dignify their comments with a response. Instead, she turned around and headed for her garage to deposit the litter.

“That’s right,” one of them called. “Run away like a scared little mouse.”

“Don’t all those bracelets weigh you down?” another called. They all laughed again.

Laura went around the house and leaned against the wall. Her entire body shook. She peeked around the corner to see them jogging away, whispering to each other. 

A lump formed in her throat. Not only had she lost her friend, but now she had to face catty neighbors on her own. She took a deep breath and threw the bottle in the recycle canister. 

 The neighbors weren’t worth the time it took to think about them. She needed to go speak with Rusty. Laura straightened her top and headed for Mandy’s house. It was early, and the kids were probably still sleeping. Mandy used to complain about how late they slept, but they were at that age. Laura remembered days of sleeping past noon before she’d had to get her first job. Those kids needed sleep now more than ever. Poor Kaylie. She’d looked horrible the night before when she came out into the kitchen.

Rusty answered the door. Laura’s breath caught. She wasn't one to be left without words often, but wow. He stood there, tall and leaning against the doorframe wearing a form-fitting V-neck. His mouth curved up—he could melt an iceberg with that grin. “Hi, Laura.”

She took a moment to recover. “Good morning.”

He stepped back, allowing her in. “The kids are still sleeping. Maybe we should talk downstairs.”

“Sounds good.” Laura followed him down, trying to think about how they would go about proving that Mandy hadn’t committed suicide.

Once in the rec room, they walked around the pool table and sat on an old leather couch. Mandy had hated that thing, but Chris couldn’t bear to part with it. He’d had it since college, and it showed.

“I should’ve asked if you wanted anything to eat or drink,” Rusty said.

Laura shook her head. “I just ate.”

He glanced to the side, looking thoughtful. “I’ve been looking through photo albums. It’s nice to see she was smiling again. She’d lost it when I knew her—it was the drugs. It looks like she moved on from her problems, and clearly adored the kids.” He paused and picked at a nail. “Tell me more about the guy she thought fathered Brady.”

Laura leaned back against the soft couch. “Travis Calloway.”

Rusty’s head snapped up. He stared at her.

“You’ve heard of him?”

“He seems to be well-known around here.”

“He’s the rich and influential CEO of Clockworks, the company that keeps this town alive.”

“Clockworks?” Rusty arched a brow. 

“They make much more than clocks,” Laura explained. “That was all they made when his grandfather started the business. Over time, they’ve moved into designing all kinds of things that tell time. They were one of the first companies to make pagers available to the general public.”

Rusty looked lost in thought for a moment. “I’d forgotten all about pagers. Nearly everyone had one in high school.”

“I know, right?” It had been middle school for her, but she didn’t want to make him feel old.

“Now they make cell phones?” He asked.

Laura nodded. “They’re on the cutting edge, pushing technology forward.”

“If they’re so influential, why haven’t I heard of them?”

“The national companies pay for the rights to use Clockworks’ designs. That’s one reason Travis drives a different colored Maserati every day of the week.”

His eyes widened. “Really?”

“I might be exaggerating, but the man has money and influence.” Laura leaned forward. “If he didn’t want Mandy bothering him about money, I’m sure he had ways to put a stop to it.”

Rusty rubbed his temples. “How did Mandy meet him in the first place? Not to put anyone down, but I don't get the feeling she or Chris have much money or influence. Though I only spent about five minutes with Chris.” 

“Five minutes too many,” Laura muttered. She cleared her throat. “Mandy and I were curious to see the infamous Calloway mansion, so we worked as servers for a couple of his parties until Chris got jealous.”

“For good reason, it sounds like. If Travis did father Brady.”

“You should see a picture of Travis.” Laura pulled out her phone and searched online. She found an image where he had an especially strong resemblance to Brady and handed it to Rusty.

His eyes widened as he looked the picture over. “That’s… that’s… We need to find out if Mandy got those DNA results.” He stared at the image a little longer and handed the phone back.

Laura’s mouth curved down. “I’d say it’s a good chance she got what she thought.”

Rusty rubbed his chin and wrinkled his brows. “How would we speak with Travis?”

“Good luck. I’ve heard you have to go through twelve secretaries before reaching him, and each one is more hang-up-happy than the last.”

“But Mandy knew how, right?”

“She said she had both his private cell phone number and a direct line to his office. He liked her for a while.”

Rusty sat up straight. “What do you mean? Did he turn against her?”

“The man gets bored easily, and not just with cars—if you catch my drift. There have been a lot of whispers of many others he’s seen privately.”

“And you said he’s married?” Rusty asked.

“Got married last summer. It was all anyone could talk about for months.” Laura searched for images and found a plethora. “It was an exclusive event, and everyone who’d been there wanted to prove it, so there are more pictures online than the royal wedding.”

She scrolled through them until she found a close-up of Angeline Calloway. The truly angelic blonde had a cascade of curls falling down her back, landing perfectly around the elegant strapless gown. Long diamond earrings poked out from her hair, nearly reaching her shoulders. But that wasn’t even what drew the eye—it was her sweet smile and gorgeous blue eyes.

Laura handed Rusty the phone again. “Angeline Calloway.”

He studied it. “I’m sure Travis wouldn’t want her getting wind of an illegitimate child.”

“Not at all. If the rumors are true, they have the picture-perfect life. And sweet Angeline as a stepmom isn’t part of that image.”

Rusty set the phone down and leaned back. “How do we look into this? Where would we even begin?”

“I think you’re going to have to go through Mandy’s stuff. If Chris hasn’t destroyed any evidence, she had to have proof somewhere.”

“Brady is a perfect mixture of Mandy and Travis. I noticed when I first arrived he looked different from everyone else, except Mandy.”

“So, in other words, you’re convinced without proof?”

He paused. “Yeah, but I do want to know what she found. Did she only prove that Chris isn’t the father? Or did she find a way to prove Travis is the dad, too?”

“It wouldn’t have been a hair sample.” Laura picked up the phone and scrolled to a wedding picture that had Travis. Just like every other picture she’d ever seen of the man, his head was shaved bald. Rumor was that it made him feel powerful, but Laura always thought he had early-onset baldness. But purposeful or not, the man in the expensive suit was quite a catch. Rich, young, powerful, and gorgeous.

How many other Mandys were there? How many of the town’s children were actually his? There were rumors, but nothing more. 

Had there been any other strange deaths or suicides? None that she could recall, but that made sense. He could easily pay off anyone and not feel the financial hit. But if Mandy had wanted him to be involved… 

Laura shuddered. Once, Mandy had mentioned it. Had she been serious? Might that be enough to get her killed?

“Do the Calloways have a lot of parties?” Rusty asked, interrupting Laura’s thoughts.

“Huh?”

“Maybe we should apply to be servers. We could learn more about them.”

She certainly wouldn’t mind seeing Rusty in a suit. “Sure. I can call my old boss, Natalie. But don’t expect to get chummy with the Calloways.”

“I’m not. A lot can be learned just by listening. You’d be surprised some of the things I’ve found out in my business.”

Laura chuckled. “I’m sure. People’s lips get loose when they’ve had too much to drink.”

“And I’m sure Mr. Calloway serves plenty of spirits to his guests.”

She leaned against the armrest. “I like the way you think.” Laura checked the time. “Tell you what. I’ve got some work to do, and when I finish that, Natalie should be in her office. I’ll give her a call and see what I can manage. She always did like me, so if there’s any availability, I’m sure we’ll get in.”

Footsteps sounded overhead. 

“Sounds like that’s my cue to check on the kids,” Rusty said.

“And mine to get home. Can I get your number?”

Rusty told her, and she called his cell. It played a peppy tune. “Got it.”

She added him to her contact list and rose. “Well, if the cops can’t figure out what’s going on, maybe we can help bring Mandy the justice she deserves.” 

“I certainly hope so.” Rusty stood, also.

Tears stung her eyes. Suddenly, being in Mandy’s house was too much. 

Rusty wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her in a warm embrace. “I’m really glad she had a friend like you.”

Laura blinked back the tears. “I just wish I could have done more. If I’d know what was going to happen, I would have done anything to prevent it. Anything.”

He sniffed and stepped back, his eyes shining with tears. “From the sounds of it, she didn’t know.” He cleared his throat.

A tear spilled onto Laura’s face. “I think she was trying to get money from Travis so she could move out of here. She wanted to be able to provide a nice place for the kids and not have to lean on Chris financially anymore.”